The Illusion of Freedom

The same is true of life in general. Just as the inhabitants of the Ivory Coast took for granted their electricity supply and all the comforts it gave them, so do the denizens of this world take their freedom as a right–and as a right that can never be terminated. But when they pass beyond the grave, their composure will suddenly be shattered by the discovery that their so-called freedom was just an illusion. They will find that their freedom of action had been given to them as a test of their worthiness to enter the gates of Paradise. They will learn, too late, that throughout their lives, God had held them responsible for every thought, word and deed, and that on the Final Day they will have to give an account of themselves. On coming to grips with this reality, they will suffer mental discomfort a million times more acute than any physical discomfort suffered on the Ivory Coast due to a power failure. Just Short of the Summit Climax and Anti-Climax A veteran of World War I, Maurice Wilson had always cherished a dream of standing on “the roof of the world”– the top of Mount Everest (at 29,028 feet, the highest peak in the world). His keenness to realize this ambition was so great that he walked out of a successful family business, spent all his money on a second-hand aeroplane and flew six thousand miles from England to India, finally touching down at Purnia on the borders of Nepal. Having been refused permission